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14/05/2014

Easy travel with Eurostar

Mr A with his Snowy Dog

So as some of you may already know, we recently came back from our short city break to Brussels (lots of posts to follow). We decided a trip on the Eurostar with the little man was well overdue, I have been many times while living in Amsterdam and France but this was going to be a first with a toddler and we were very excited. Initially we thought we would go to Paris but decided to keep that for my 30th Birthday later this year and thought why not check out the often overlooked city of Brussels and we are so glad we did.

Boarding the Eurostar and ready to go

Our trip started from Cardiff in Wales, our high speed train to London was delayed but only by 15min but we were arriving into London during tube strikes and even though we had given ourselves more than an hour and half to get from Paddington to St Pancreas which under normal circumstances would not be an issue but with our first train being delayed it was tight, although we made it with 25 min to spare, which allowed us to have a little wander around the terminal after check in.

Before we leave at St Pancreas

On the way out we travelled in standard class which I have to be honest is a bit of a squeeze with a toddler and John being 6ft although still very doable. Although if the service was very busy it may be worth buying a child's ticket even though children under four travel free. Otherwise the staff were very friendly and they had a well stocked buffet carriage with Waitrose goodies as well as a great little in-train magazine. The train went via Lille and is so smooth you really don't know your on a train. We arrived in Brussels around 2 hours after leaving London.

Here is a mini taster of our trip, like I said lots of posts to follow, let's just say we indulged in all the wonderful things Belgium has to offer like chocolate, waffles and well brewed beer..

We had a great time exploring the delights of Brussels

On our return we decided to treat ourselves and upgrade to Standard Premier which I cannot recommended enough. The seats are larger and recline, as well as having at table service which included a light meal, we went for the vegetarian option which was some french beans, carrots, brie cheese and a rustic roll, as well as a cheesecake and some wonderful wine.

So what are the Pros and Cons of travelling on Eurostar as appose to flying?

Pros

It's super convient - you literally go from the centre of one city to the centre of another and with check in 30min before you leave you don't need to be waiting around for hours either.

You can take large suitcases without being charged extra as you would do on a flight

It's fast, relaxing and a great way to travel, especially in Standard Premier, although it really doesn't matter where you sit as the staff are very friendly and are on hand to help and are all multi-lingual.

Power points are at every table/seat so you can plug your laptop in or iPad to watch a film, or simply watch the countryside fly by (thats what we did mainly)

Cons

To be honest there are very few as we found the trip fast, smooth and very enjoyable but it we have to be picky it would be -

Standard seats are a bit of a tight squeeze if your travelling with kids but it's more than doable

They don't yet have Wifi although I am sure this is something that will come in the future

How Child Friendly is it?

Very! As I said the staff were really friendly and helpful.

Every seat has a fold down table which is large enough to enjoying some colouring in or sticking and if they get bored of that there are power points everywhere so you can plug your laptop in and play a film.

There is also most space to get up and walk if needs be.

The check in is pretty stress-free and similar to that of an airport and once your through to the waiting lounge you can purchase snacks and drinks.

Thanks to Eurostar who provided us with a discount, this is an honest review and words and thoughts are 100% our own

16 comments:

I didn't realize that it takes only 2 hours from London to Brussels until now. How convenient! I love traveling by train though I would expect the Eurostar having wifi! But maybe I'm just spoiled by Scandinavia where I can get wifi in every train and bus ;)

I love the eurostar but do find it a squeeze with bags and I'm on 5ft5. Flying means checking in and that's such a faff so I always get the train to France, I even went to Grenoble which is an extra 3 hours and that train was splendid xx

Eurostar for us every time! Flying is a pain, especially in to Paris as the airport is a big trek into Paris central. The train is just such a pleasurable way to travel. Our kids much prefer it - they can see out of the window and look at the trees, fields, lakes whatever. All you see out of an aeroplane window are tiny landmarks (and that's if you're lucky as there is usually cloud!). Tracey www.faceupbeauty.com

We went on Eurostar last year to Paris and were really impressed. I didn't find it much of a squeeze, and we thought the whole experience was far preferable to flying - much more relaxing! Glad you had a good time.

We're off on Eurostar with the two girls next week and really looking forward to it. It's great to see how it looks and know what to expect. Is there a special area to put luggage, or do you just store it overhead?

i wish i had the chance to travel as a child! i'm sure he'll cherish those memories :) i can never get over how quick it is to travel to these areas, must be a million times easier now than it was many years ago.

I can't wait till Tiger is a bit older and we can use it! He is at that annoying age where travelling of any kind would be a nightmare. I much prefer the Eurostar to flying though, especially as I hate flying! x

I really want to get the Eurostar. I caught a plane to Paris, which ended up taking so long once you factored in the getting to and from the airport etc, then I caught a bus to Amsterdam.. which was.. interesting to say the least! & a bus to Belgium! Ahh the joys.

I've never travelled by eurostar but would love to. I always feel so guilty for flying, I would much rather be relying on a more environmentally friendly mode of transport. Can't wait to read your posts about the trip itself! x

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